Verse of the Day 3/29

 

John 1:38  Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

We have often heard of and are aware of the importance of someone's final words on a subject or in life.  Today's verse takes us back to the first recorded words of Jesus in John's gospel.  What are you seeking?  That question could be asked of us and could be asked of just about anyone who will plan on attending a worship service over the weekend.  I don't know if they were startled by the question, perhaps expected something different so their answer was "where are you staying".  It could be that they were not really sure what they were seeking, but they knew that they were looking for something or some One.

 

There are many church's that will have "seeker" services this weekend, but when you get down to it we are all seeking something.  As we read these words, Jesus is asking each of us "what are you seeking"?  What are you seeking as you read the Bible, do your devotions, read this post, and go to church this weekend? 

 

Towards the end of the book of John, Jesus asks another question, this time to Mary Magdalene who had come seeking Jesus but finding an empty tomb -"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" (John 20:15)  Notice the what has changed to whom.  Hopefully it is that way with us.  We may have come seeking what in the form of friendship, comfort encouragement or possibly even salvation.  At some point we realize it is a question of Whom we are seeking.  It is a Savior, our Savior Jesus Christ.  Jesus is still telling us "follow me" (1:43).

 

Later in chapter 20, John tells his readers and us why he wrote this gospel " but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."  John 20:31

English Standard Version (ESV)

 

May we truly believe and have life in His name.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

John 1:37-39

The Message (MSG)

^37-38 The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, "What are you after?"

They said, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"

³⁹ He replied, "Come along and see for yourself."

They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.

Verse of the Day 3/28

 

John 1:3  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  New King James Version (NKJV)

 

Every once in a while a once popular television series is brought back or revamped.  I recently heard that "Cosmos" was coming back.  It was made popular by Carl Sagan and most of us can probably recall his standard line "the cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be".  A catchy phrase and many fell prey to the teachings of the series and since that time have felt that science and Christianity were and are and ever will be diametrically opposed.

 

The Bible, in Genesis 1:1 starts off with "in the beginning God".  In today's passage John starts out by saying "in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God."  John's writing goes on to tell us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, or as The Message puts it "He moved into the neighborhood".  The Bible teaches that the Trinity was there at the beginning with the Spirit hovering over the waters.  John tells us that all things are through Him and without Him nothing was made.  Without God there would be no cosmos.

 

Even Sagan's famous saying is not new.  I woke up this morning with one of my favorite old hymns "Holy, Holy, Holy" o my mind, it states in the second stanza " which wert, and art, and ever more shall be".  He was saying that God is and was and always will be God and He will be Holy, set apart from His creation. 

 

We should not be afraid of science, science and the Bible are not diametrically opposed.  John Lennox writes,   "What divides us is not science, we are both committed to science, but our worldviews. No one wants to base their life on a delusion, but which is a delusion? Christianity or atheism?" God may have started things off with a big bang, but regardless of how he started it, He did it together with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  We can stand in awe of it and stand in wonder of who this God in three Persons, this blessed Trinity is.

 

Often times science has no explanation of things.  If you are curious about Christianity and Science I'd recommend "The Truth Project" a video series put out some years ago by Focus on the Family.  It does a wonderful job of showing the hand of God in His creation and points to many things that science cannot answer, at least without God.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

John 1:1-5

The Message (MSG)

The Life-Light

^1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
    God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
    in readiness for God from day one.

^3-5 Everything was created through him;
    nothing—not one thing!—
    came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
    and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
    the darkness couldn't put it out.

Verse of the Day 3/27

Verse of the Day 3/27

 

Titus 3:4-5   But God, the One Who saves, showed how kind He was and how He loved us ⁵ by saving us from the punishment of sin. It was not because we worked to be right with God. It was because of His loving-kindness that He washed our sins away. At the same time He gave us new life when the Holy Spirit came into our lives.  New Life Version (NLV)

 

Yesterday we considered our "hope of eternal salvation" which we have because of the great gift of God, our blessed Redeemer.  Today's verses carry on with that theme, reminding us that His love is shown for us by His saving us from the punishment of our own sins.   The Message (below) tells us that we were "dupes of sin", with chips on our shoulder, hated and hating back."  Paul could look back in his life when he was persecuting the church and can definitely relate to what he's writing.

 

Today's verses start with those two great words that should always catch our attention "but God".  We, like Paul were headed in the course of this world, but at some point He stepped in.  Stepped in by sending His Son, stepped in by calling us, drawing us to faith in His Son and providing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct in the New Life we've been given.  We don't deserve, can't take the credit, it is all God, to Him be the glory.

 

John MacArthur writes, "Salvation brings divine cleansing from sin and the gift of a new Spirit-generated, Spirit-empowered, and Spirit- protected life as God's own children and heirs."  I'm reminded of the chorus that we used to sing "New Life".

 

New Life in Christ abundant and free!
What glories shine, what joys are mine,
What wondrous blessings I see!
My past with its sin, the searching and strife,
Forever gone -- There's a bright new dawn!
For in Christ I have found new life.

 

If we have it may we live out our Spirit-generated, Spirit-empowered, and Spirit- protected life today.  If you don't, God, the One who saves, offers a change of course, a cleansing, a renewal, if you will turn to Him.

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Titus 3:3-11

The Message (MSG)

^3-8 It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

^8-11 I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials that are good for everyone. Stay away from mindless, pointless quarreling over genealogies and fine print in the law code. That gets you nowhere. Warn a quarrelsome person once or twice, but then be done with him. It's obvious that such a person is out of line, rebellious against God. By persisting in divisiveness he cuts himself off.

Verse of the Day 3/26

 

Hebrews 5:9   After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him,  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

Jesus died and was resurrected once and for all to pay the penalty for our sin and to offer us salvation through faith in Him.  But our salvation is not to be looked upon as an insurance policy to be obtained and then go about living with no change, no apparent impact in our lives.

 

As this verse, and others, point out, our salvation is made evident in our obedience to Jesus.  We show that we are following Him by following His example in our lives.  The call to repent and to believe is ongoing , influencing, changing us day by day.  It is an eternal salvation that is worked out in us day by day while we're here on this earth.  Alexander Smellie writes, " and there is the wonder of its continuousness.  Salvation keeps coming - it does not cease.  If flows, and deepens, and broadens.  God does not weary, though there should be 10,000 reasons why He should.  The savior does not lose His sympathy and grace.  The Holy Spirit goes on performing His good work."

 

I'm reminded of the old Fanny Crosby hymn that was sung so many times in the church of my childhood.  The one line that brought this to mind relates to today's verse is "He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation".

 

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.

Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Ever in joyful song!

 

If you have this eternal salvation, sing a song of praise to Him today.  May He be your Rock, your anchor as you go out today.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Hebrews 5:7-10

The Message (MSG)

^7-10 While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him.

Verse of the Day 3/25

Verse of the Day 3/25

 

Psalm 33:18  Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,   English Standard Version (ESV)

 

The other day we considered in Proverbs that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1;7) .  Yesterday we were encouraged, reminded and challenged not to "forget the Lord".  I read today's verse in a devotional this morning and chose the ESV because it speaks of God's steadfast love.  Other translations use the words "mercy" and "unfailing love" which are also correct, but for me, the thought of His steadfastness through thick and thin encourages me.

 

The passage starts off by referencing the nation whose God is the Lord, I long for that to be true of our nation once again.  The passage also speaks of the rulers that trust in great armies but truly are not in control.  There is a lot of turmoil in our world today.  Nations are plotting against nations and people are plotting against people.  But God has an overarching plan, His plans will come to pass, and His "eye is on those who fear Him".

 

Whatever we may face today, no matter how insignificant we may seem to be, His eye is on us, and He cares for us with His unfailing, steadfast love and mercy.  I'm reminded of the hymn "His Eye is on the Sparrow".

 

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Matthew 10:31  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  New King James Version (NKJV) 

 

May we never forget His steadfast love.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Psalm 33:12-19

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all the children of man;
¹⁴ from where he sits enthroned he looks out
    on all the inhabitants of the earth,
¹⁵ he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.
¹⁶ The king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
¹⁷ The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
    and by its great might it cannot rescue.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,
¹⁹ that he may deliver their soul from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

Verse of the Day 3/24

Verse of the Day 3/24

 

Deuteronomy 8:11 "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,  New King James Version (NKJV)

 

Many times people will draw near to God while they are in the desert places, the rough patches in life only to drift and fall away from God when things go back to being normal.  Having sufficient food, income, and good health can lead us to be complacent and give us a false sense of security which can lead us to forgetting God.  That is the warning that Moses was giving the people of Israel back in Deuteronomy, shortly after entering the promised land.  Moses reminded the people how God had provided food, "manna" from heaven, clothing that did not wear out and even the metals to make utensils and implements while they were on their journey.

 

Drifting is an easy thing to do.  If you've ever been in a boat on a river or on a lake on a breezy day, you know the experience.  If you forget about the wind, forget about the current for any length of time you will find yourself far away from where you had been just a short time ago.  So it is in our faith.   "We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away." Hebrews 2:1  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

Read what the following verses say from The Message: "Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up—make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God."  I'd say that most of us live in what would be considered pleasant houses and seen our standard of living go up, some may have seen growth in their retirement accounts.  Today's verse is a reminder for us to remember and not forget just who it is that provided it for us and that we should be grateful to Him and to follow Him and not feel that we have become "self sufficient".

 

May you remember how God has provided for you, and may you live well in the days ahead of you (v.16 The Message)

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Deuteronomy 8:11

The Message (MSG)

^11-16 Make sure you don't forget God, your God, by not keeping his commandments, his rules and regulations that I command you today. Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up—make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God,

the God who delivered you from Egyptian slavery;
the God who led you through that huge and fearsome wilderness,
those desolate, arid badlands crawling with fiery snakes and scorpions;
the God who gave you water gushing from hard rock;
the God who gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never heard of, in order to give you a taste of the hard life, to test you so that you would be prepared to live well in the days ahead of you.

Verse of the Day 3/23

 

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

Today's verse comes from the first passage in the book of Proverbs which lays out the groundwork for the book, for "learning what wisdom and discipline are" (v.1 HCSB).  We've been considering, thinking about discipleship for some time now, and it is not too hard to see that the word discipleship is rooted in discipline.  It all starts with a "fear" of the Lord, this involves reverence, respect, honor, trust and other attitudes in our hearts for Him..

 

Looking back over these first seven verses of Proverbs we can see a progression.  Wisdom involves a willingness to be taught about God, which will lead to learning more of Him, which will lead to fearing/respecting Him.  We will come to know Him better day by day and we will begin to imitate Him as we apply what we learn in our day to day actions.

 

John MacArthur writes that "the fear of the Lord is a state of mind in which one's own attitudes, will, feelings, deeds, and goals are exchanged for God's."  This fear, this reverence and awe are the "starting point and essence" (AMP) of knowing Him of being a God follower.  "Fools" will despise it, may ridicule us for believing it, but this exchange is what motivates and drives us and brings us hope and peace.

^"The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline."   Proverbs 1:7  Amplified Bible (AMP)

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Proverbs 1:1-7

The Message (MSG)

Wise Sayings of Solomon

A Manual for Living

1 ^1-6 These are the wise sayings of Solomon,
    David's son, Israel's king—
Written down so we'll know how to live well and right,
    to understand what life means and where it's going;
A manual for living,
    for learning what's right and just and fair;
To teach the inexperienced the ropes
    and give our young people a grasp on reality.
There's something here also for seasoned men and women,
    still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—
Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate,
    the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women.

Start with God

⁷ Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;
    only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

Verse of the Day 3/21

 

 Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go;
    even when he is old he will not depart from it.   English Standard Version (ESV)

 

When you read this familiar verse you should notice that it says "train up a child".  It doesn't specifically say teach, although that is involved.  It has been said that what people, especially children often learn is caught more than it is taught.  They catch it by observation, by seeing it acted out in life, especially the lives of a parent, grandparent or perhaps a mentor.

 

I recently heard question and answer session with several theologians where the question was asked of this verse, "can you give me an example of how I am to do this in life".  After a pause, I believe that it was Sinclair Ferguson who addressed the question.  He said "take your child to evening service".  He went on to say that many church's no longer have a separate evening service, in that case, take the child with you into the service.  Worship with them in singing, taking communion, giving offerings, and praying.

 

It was not an answer that I expected to hear.  But looking back in my own life, I could relate.  When I was a child our family regularly went to evening services.  It is where I gained those memories of so many of the hymns that I quote.  Later, my wife and I did the same thing at the church we attended when we were raising our kids.  Many of the "kids" from my childhood church receive these devotionals, they are the ones that attended the evening services.  Some of the parents and their kids from the church where our kids grew up receive these as well.  It is those same parents and kids that attended those evening services.

 

My dad passed away a couple of years ago and at his funeral service, one of those kids that I grew up with, and yes attended those evening services  and later led the hymn singing at those evening services, gave a testimony of how my dad would often request the same hymn to be song.  He quoted the song and the page number from the hymnal and led us once again in singing the hymn.  It brings tears to my eyes now in recalling and writing this.  My dad had more than one favorite hymn and I'll close with it. 

 

Count Your Blessings.

 

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

 

 

Yes, count your blessings and may you realize that one of them is to be able spend time with your children or perhaps grandchildren in worship.

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Proverbs 22:5-7

The Message (MSG)

⁵ The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;
    if you know what's good for you, stay clear of it.

⁶ Point your kids in the right direction—
    when they're old they won't be lost.

⁷ The poor are always ruled over by the rich,
    so don't borrow and put yourself under their power.

Verse of the Day 3/20

Verse of the Day 3/20

 

Matthew 22:37-39   And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

I had mentioned the other day that discipleship, being a follower has been on my mind now for a few weeks.  It seems that every passage I turn to, every message I hear, has something to do with discipleship.  I read this passage in my devotions this morning.  It is perhaps one of the best examples of what true discipleship looks like if put to practice in life.  Loving God and loving others as yourself.

 

The verses are easy to repeat.  They just about roll off of your tongue.  You have probably heard  and pretty much understood them since you were a little child.  The Jews would be familiar with the the concepts going back to the books of Deuteronomy of loving God in the Shema in chapter 6 and loving others in Leviticus chapter 19.

 

As disciples, as followers of Jesus today, we are still called to shape our lives by these two great concepts, two great commandments to love God and others.  They are easy to say in a single breath and requiring every breath, full devotion in order to live out.

 

As is usually the case, the words from verses most often bring my mind to songs and hymns, sometimes in the recesses of my mind.  The thoughts of discipleship and living according to today's verses brought me to this hymn, "Living for Jesus".

 

Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

• O Jesus, Lord and Savior,
  I give myself to Thee,
  For Thou, in Thy [redemption],*
  Didst give Thyself for me;
  I own no other Master,
  My heart shall be Thy throne,
  My life I give, henceforth to live,
  O Christ, for Thee alone.

As we go about today may we love others, and as The Message puts it "love God with all your passion, prayer and intelligence".

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Matthew 22:36-40

The Message (MSG)

The Most Important Command

^34-36 When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: "Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?"

^37-40 Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."

Verse of the Day 3/19

 

Matthew 22:19-21 Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.  ²⁰ And Jesus said to them,"Whose likeness and inscription is this?" ²¹ They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

The Pharisee's were constantly trying to trick and trap Jesus in order to bring Him down in front of "the people".  Time and time again they think they have Him and He turns the tables on them.  The fact that they did this and asked those questions proved that they were not followers.

 

The verb in verse 21 "render" involves settling a debt, paying back what is owed or returning something to it's rightful owner.  Part of His answer is to give the government its due.  It is worth noting that the Pharisee's were against the use of the Roman coins because of the inscription and face of Caesar on it.  Yet they (or their followers) had no problem producing it, pulling it out of their pockets as it were at Jesus request to show it.  The government provides services and our taxes are supporting that.  Enough said.

 

The greater part of His answer is that as true followers we are to give God, to give Jesus what is rightfully due to Him.  This involves our worship, our praise and our Christian service.  This is no limited or set amount.  Our lives are to be an offering, a blank check as it were, letting God fill in the amount and following through on His requests.  People have asked "what is the minimum I can give to fulfill the requirements.  That too is an improper question.  The proper response is that we give with generosity, with the worship, love and service of our whole lives.

 

I was reminded of an old hymn "Give of Your Best to the Master" and have posted one of the stanzas.  May we be willing to give Him first place in our heart and service, consecrating every part of our lives.

 

Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart.
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave.
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Matthew 22:19-21

The Message (MSG)

^18-19 Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, "Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it." They handed him a silver piece.

²⁰ "This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?"

²¹ They said, "Caesar."

"Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his."

Verse of the Day 3/18

Verse of the Day 3/18

 

Luke 11:1-2  Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." ² And he said to them, "When you pray, say:

"Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.   English Standard Version (ESV)

Yesterday we were considering what it means, what it looks like to be a "Christ follower", to clothe ourselves, to put on Christ.  It is more than just putting on a garment, it involves seeking His guidance and direction, and as today's verse indicates, prayer is at the center of it.

 

Jesus was praying in a certain place.  The place probably doesn't matter, but it was a chosen place and so it is with us.  The place doesn't matter but we need to choose a place where we can spend time with Him in prayer, it is getting away from the commotion and noise of the day to focus our attention and to receive guidance from Him. 

 

James MacDonald writes, "They not only went to the right instructor, they also went with the right intent.  This was more than a "how to" request; it was a "give us the desire to pray" petition.  After noticing the pattern of prayer in Jesus life, they longed to see it in their own lives.  They saw Him slip out of the house to pray in the early morning, while they rolled over for a little more sleep.  They watched Him pause to thank His Father at various times and draw attention to the bigger picture."

 

We too need time with Jesus and with the Father to "draw our attention to the bigger picture".  Yesterday we also considered Steven Curtis Chapman's song "God Follower".  If we truly want to be one and go wherever He leads, along the path He's marked for us, we will need to find that "certain" place in our busy lives and pray as He taught the disciples "Father, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done"........

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Luke 11:1-4

The Message (MSG)

Ask for What You Need

11 One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, "Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

^2-4 So he said, "When you pray, say,

Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil."

Verse of the Day 3/17

 

Colossians 3:12-13  Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  New International Version (NIV)

 

Yesterday we considered how people are generally dedicated followers of something or someone.  As Christians we are to be followers of Jesus.  Colossians 3 shows us that we are to "seek the things above (v.1), put to death (v.5) sexual immorality and worldly desires, and put away (v.8) anger, malice, slander and obscene talk (among other things).  Those are the don'ts.

 

Today's verses focus on what we are to do.  Some translations say that we are to "put on" these the attributes mentioned in these verses.  The NIV says we are to "clothe" ourselves, wrap ourselves in these qualities, they are the outward coverings, what others will see, and should be recognizable as the "fashions" of being a Christian.  Quite a contrast to the person who is a dedicated follower of fashion that we considered yesterday.

 

Verse 14 puts the cap on it, "and above all these put on love" (ESV).  If these traits are visible on us, can be seen on us, it shows that we are truly followers.  Steven Curtis Chapman, in his song "God Follower" sings of "walking the trail He's marked for me".  May we walk it clothed with the compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love mentioned in this passage.

 

I want to be a God follower
I want to go wherever He leads
I want to be a God follower
I want to walk the trail He's marked for me
And be a God follower
(More than anything)

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Colossians 3:12

The Message (MSG)

^12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.